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Depends on where. Can you believe that at the arctic circle where that picture was taken, it was around 85 F ( so you see I just have a T-shirt on )? That was a revelation to me. Apparently, inland Alaska CAN get very warm. It is as you move towards the waters that the chillness starts.

It was cold near the glaciers ( College Fjord, Glacier Bay area and such). But manageable. It was very pleasant in the places we walked around ( we had a day each to go around the Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan ports ). Kind of misty weather I should say.

I guess, this is one of the warmest times in the year to visit Alaska?

You are right. It is one of the warmest times and best times to visit if you want to do some outdoors stuff in Alaska. And in places close to Arctic circle ( Denali, Fairbanks etc. ) you have the sun to help you circling for as good as 22 hrs a day

Re: CG members photo album

Originally Posted by exterminator

t does affect the universe as a whole as well. [...] The conversion of the oil from liquid crude state to gaseous state after undergoing combustion is a chemical reaction (including the oil processing to make it usable as a fuel). It generates heat/enthalpy. The entropy, on the other hand, always increases - whatever you do.

This is an interesting thought, but probably not true.

Oil and coal when burnt produce energy - yes. However, this energy is nothing but the solar energy trapped in the flora and fauna of the planet millions of years ago. Hence, these fuels are called "fossil fuel". So, at a universal (nay, even at a Solar level) - the release of heat energy due to the burning oil and coal should result in a net-zero addition.

Re: CG members photo album

Originally Posted by Siddhartha

This is an interesting thought, but probably not true.

Oil and coal when burnt produce energy - yes. However, this energy is nothing but the solar energy trapped in the flora and fauna of the planet millions of years ago. Hence, these fuels are called "fossil fuel". So, at a universal (nay, even at a Solar level) - the release of heat energy due to the burning oil and coal should result in a net-zero addition.

If it is not true, then I think you are ready to put in a revolutionary theory that beats the fundamental laws of thermodynamics.

The formation of fuel is a result of work done. That work is done due to the energy in the system. Fossil fuels form as a result of pressure (and probably more factors) and the matter that undergoes transformation under pressure and that pressure is not just out of nothing. There is some work done to produce some pressure be it work by gravitation or whatever. That process is not 100% efficient that it converts all that energy into the energy stored in fuels.

So, it does actually add up on the reference scale, it may be comparatively negligible but it is not 0.

Just as plants do today, those living millions of years ago converted the sun's light energy into food (chemical) energy through the process of photosynthesis. That 'solar' energy was and is transferred down the food chain in animals. This energy provides living things with the energy to grow and live. When living organisms die the energy contained within them as chemical energy is trapped.

It is estimated that the total amount of energy gained from fossil fuels since the start of civilization is equivalent to the same amount of energy we receive every 30 days from the sun.

Fossil fuels are formed by the burying, and subsequent pressure and heating, of dead plant and animal matter or biomass (organic matter), over millions of years. This is how coal, oil and natural gas are formed. The trapped energy can be released and utilized when the fuels are burnt.

Re: CG members photo album

I would be wrong if I gave the impression that energy is being created. I am just saying that it is changing form to something that can have adverse impacts on earth basically.

On the universal level, of course it will be so minute that it would be ridiculous to consider it. Compare that with the approx. 10^22 stars hosting fusion. Burning fuel on earth is not even comparative to the fusion on Sun. Even if there happens a nuclear war on earth with fusion bombs, it cannot match that. Coz we don't have enough hydrogen to sustain it longer (or do we)

Re: CG members photo album

I've just returned from vacation in Italy. During my stay there, I've visited Venice and two near-by islands, Murano and Burano. The later was a very exotical island with houses painted in vivid colors. Probably the only requirement is to be as different as possible from the other neighbors. It really worth visiting.